


Saving Sarah

by underground_archivist



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: BDSM, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-01
Updated: 2013-11-13
Packaged: 2020-07-30 10:54:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20096098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/underground_archivist/pseuds/underground_archivist
Summary: Since Sarah ran the Labyrinth 10 years ago, she's accquired some poor coping mechanisms to help deal with her memories and nightmares. The only person who can save her is the last person she wants to see...Please note that in this story, Sarah was of age (18) when she ran the Labyrinth the first time.WARNING!!! This will include explicit sexual content and adult material (drug and alcohol use). Only readers of age please.Disclaimer: All Publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their repective owners. The original characters and plot are property of the author. The author is in no way associated with owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note from banshee, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Underground](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Underground_\(Labyrinth_archive\)) and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2019. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Underground’s collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/underground/profile).
> 
> Hi guys, this is my first fanfic and I'll warn you now I don't think I'm much of a writer, I'm more of an artist. I just read so many of your wonderful stories and loved them so much I was inspired to create my own. Also note that in this story, Sarah was of age (18) when she ran the Labyrinth the first time. I would appreciate any comments, suggestions, reviews, or advice that you have!
> 
> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are property of the author. The author is in no way associated with owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Jareth sat draped across his throne, one leg up over the side, staring deeply into a crystal he held in his gloved hand. He was intently focused on what he saw, and was unusually deaf to the cacophony of goblins which surrounded him. He was watching Sarah again; only this time was slightly more disturbed with what he saw. In the past, Sarah come in quite clearly in the crystals, but for the last few years the images he saw had grown increasingly out of focus, fading in and out sometimes with slightly bleeding colors.

The Goblin King had kept a close eye on Sarah ever since their last meeting ten years ago when he had offered her everything and she had rudely thrown it back in his face. How he loathed her in that moment! He was a king and used to getting what he wanted, when he wanted it, and oh how he had wanted Sarah. She was stubbornly strong-willed and more beautiful than anyone he had ever seen. She had the ability to ignite a latent passion inside him which either drove him to angry frustration or animal desire. No other woman would ever make him feel as fervent as Sarah. Oh yes, he would have her. However when he had offered her the world, her dreams, and his love and she had brutally rejected him and his kingdom. He had gone through so much trouble to reorder time and create a fantasy to fulfill the greatest stretches of her imagination while she ran his labyrinth to save her brother, and yet she wasn’t even in the least bit grateful. She would pay dearly for this. 

Ever since that rejection, Jareth would watch Sara in his crystals every night until she would fall asleep. That’s when he would seek his revenge; he would visit her in her dreams. Most often he would simply reconstruct a scene of the labyrinth and use basic scare tactics like trapping her in an oubliette filling with water to drown her, having the cleaners chasing her and slowly ripping her limb from limb, or even just pushing her out of the highest tower of his castle. Occasionally he would even make her watch him change Toby into a goblin and her not be able to save him. However, when his pride would get the best of him, he would force her to submit to him fully, and take what was his. These were always his favorite nightmares. In recent years, as Sarah became increasingly fuzzy in the crystals, however, and her dream-self seemed to lack substance as well. It was as if she was not fully there. In most children this would just mean that they were growing up and found it harder to believe in magic any longer, but Jareth knew the size of Sarah’s imagination and that this could not possibly be the case. Something had to be wrong.

In the thousands of years he had been spying on the Aboveground via crystal, he had only known colors to blend and merge when a person had an illness of sorts. Tonight when he called upon Sarah’s image, she was surrounded with a halo of darkness and her eyes were no longer vibrant green. They were black. 


	2. Chapter 2

RIIINNNNGGGGG! Sarah’s phone went off at a volume loud enough to wake the dead. Without opening her eyes, she flopped her arm up onto the night stand and blindly groped for the source of the awful noise.  


“…..hello?” Sara croaked into the receiver as she attempted to sit up in bed, pulling a cigarette out of the half empty pack on the night stand.  


“Sarah? What are you doing?” it was her friend Alex.  


Lighting the cigarette and taking a deep pull into her lungs, Sarah glanced at the nameless blonde body asleep next to her. “Oh you know, just your typical Sunday morning…” she responded.  


“Sarah, its Tuesday. And it’s noon. Practice started an hour ago.”  


“Shit, sorry man, I’ll be there in 15.” Sara said while getting up out of bed and taking the last swig of tequila from the glass she had left on her dresser the night before. She quickly dug through the pile of clothes on the floor and found a clean towel. She started to run to the bathroom but doubled back to kick the sleeping person on the mattress. “Hey, um, whatever your name is, thanks for everything last night, I’m sure it was great, but you need to be gone. Now.”  


The boy sleepily looked up from the pillow, about to make a snide comment, but when his blue eyes met Sarah’s ice cold stare of daggers, he quickly grabbed his jeans and shoes, and headed out the door while still in the process of putting them on. Her eyes could be so cruel.  


Sarah showered at top speed and threw on her favorite charcoal skinny jeans, black engineer’s boots, faded green t-shirt, and bomber jacket. She jammed her phone in one pocket, her cigarettes in the other, and then rummaged around her dresser for her last necessity. After what seemed like forever, Sarah finally found the small, square, silver box with the impression of an owl on its lid. She opened the box and took a small hit of the sweet white powder that was hidden away inside. She blankly stared into her mirror for a minute, savoring the rush that quickly spread through her body. Sarah then shoved the tin deep into her pocket with her cigarettes, zipped up her jacket and walked out the door.  


Sarah’s apartment was not the nicest of places, but it was only a five minute walk from the bar her band held their gigs every Friday, and that’s all that really mattered to her. Only when she was writing or performing her music did Sarah really feel truly free. Sarah had always been very creative loving acting, sculpting, and music; she had even spent a year at a university for the performing arts. However, her lack of respect for authority had gotten the better of her, and after pissing off every professor she ever had, she managed to get herself kicked out after the first year. As luck would have it, the day she got kicked out, she had spent the afternoon in the bar and met Alex, who was starting a rock band and was looking for a singer. From that afternoon on, Sara’s band played random shows around town, mostly in bars, until they were hired as permanent entertainment at Main Bar for Friday nights. It wasn’t rock star cash, but it was enough for her apartment and to feed her expensive habits most days.   


To the outsider, Sarah just looked like another musician consumed by the temptations of drugs and alcohol, but the truth was that she was tormented by something much darker. Every night that Sarah didn’t completely numb herself out, she would be haunted by the horrible memory of 10 years ago when she foolishly wished away her baby brother. She would always have some horrible nightmare about being trapped and or murdered by the labyrinth, or that she wasn’t able to save Toby in time and she had to watch him become a goblin. Sometimes she would even dream that the Goblin King himself would take her away for his own personal pleasure. Granted she couldn’t deny that she was irresistibly attracted to him, plus she was kind of into the whole dominance thing, but there was something about the dreams that made her think that the Goblin King was actually controlling them, and invading her subconscious. He always made it known that she was not there for pleasure but for punishment.  


When she first started having the dreams so long ago, she would wake up screaming in a cold sweat. Too stubborn to ask for any sort of help, she tried just suppressing her thoughts but this only made things worse. She suffered in silence until one of her friends introduced her to the world of alcohol. She discovered that if she was able to just numb her mind before she went to bed, she could keep the dream at bay. However, a drink before bed quickly became two, then three, then into needing a few just to get through the day, mixing in various pills and powders for sport.  


Sara walked into the dark front room and immediately hopped behind the bar to make herself a coffee. “Anyone else want a coffee?” she called out to the three other girls in the room who were on the stage tuning their instruments.  


“No thanks, you always put too much tequila in. Never enough Kahlua,” Taylor laughed, sweeping her long red hair back up into a messy bun.  


“We made some breakfast while we were waiting if you want any. It’s in the fridge,” Regan called while lighting a fresh cigarette.  


“Nah, I’m good,” Sarah said. “I really just wanna get in some good practice today. Sorry again about being late guys,” she said out of the corner of her mouth while lighting her own cigarette and jumping up to her spot behind the mic.  


“No worries, you just owe us the first round tonight,” Alex said through a smile.  



	3. Chapter 3

  
Author's notes:

Song lyrics are Black Sheep by Metric

Once again All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are property of the author. The author is in no way associated with owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. 

* * *

Jareth let the image in the crystal fade to black and allowed the glass sphere to roll down the back of his hand, before gliding it effortlessly back over the tips of his fingers and into his opposite palm. He meditated with the crystal, working it back and forth from hand to hand, while he let his mind try to sort out the best course of action. It was true that he got a bit of sadistic pleasure from watching Sarah be punished for rejecting and humiliating him. However, he was a king and liked to administer his own punishments. He felt possessive over her; he still believed that she was his.

After contemplating his options, Jareth rose from his throne and strode over to the window of the throne room with a sense of purpose and resolve in his piercing blue eyes. He must travel to the Aboveground to see Sarah. The goblin king informed the surrounding circus of goblins he had business to take care of in the other realm. He then stepped off the balcony and the white owl flew off into the dark night. 

The air was cool and smooth as silk, and Jareth arrived in Sarah’s town quicker than he anticipated. He settled onto an outstretched branch of a tree that grew in front of Sarah’s apartment and absentmindedly preened his feathers while he peered into her windows. Each one was dark, and after a few minutes, it was obvious that no one was home. The only other place Jareth had seen Sarah go in the evenings was to the venue in which her band practiced and played their shows. Luckily he had once caught a glimpse of the glowing electric sign which hung above the doorway, so he at least had a starting point to search for her. He took off into the night and headed toward the downtown area. 

After only a few minutes he was bombarded with the dull glow of neon, and knew he had chosen the right direction. Finally he found what he was looking for and saw the big red “M” inside of a blue circle. Jareth landed on the roof of the building next door and started searching for a window to peer into. Much to his chagrin, there was not a window, door, nor loose plank of wood to be had on the entire building, and he was reduced to the irritating realization that he was going to actually have to enter the bar in human form. With a roll of his eyes, he flew down into the alley between the two buildings and stood up, dusting off his cloak. Cocking his head to the side, he looked down again at his attire and realized that his signature poet’s shirt and riding pants might attract a little more attention than he desired at the moment. Yes, it was probably better to blend in a bit. With a wave of his hand, his cloak shrunk up into a dark brown leather jacket and his flowing shirt tightened into a grey t-shirt. His riding pants loosened into faded denim jeans and his knee high boots shortened into more modern motorcycle boots. Lastly the long tendrils of his blonde hair shrunk back up into a tamer rocker shag. He removed his leather gloves from his long fingers and shoved them into his pocket as he headed out of the alley and toward the door.

Once inside, he took a look at his surroundings. The bar was fairly old and dark but not as dirty as it could have been. However, after surveying the crowd, it wouldn’t stay this clean any longer than another a half an hour, he thought. The bar itself was along the back wall and covered in graffiti of past visitors. There was a restroom in the far corner, and opposite the bar was a small stage lit with blue, green and red lights. The rest of the room was open space, most likely originally designed for dancing, but the patrons didn’t look like the type and instead just crammed in, packed practically on top of each other, trying to get as close to the stage as possible. Jareth hung back and leaned up against the bar, where he could survey the entire space without really being noticed himself.

“What will you have?” a gruff voice startled Jareth out of his concentration.

“Pardon?” he asked the man behind the bar, who looked about as old as Jareth actually was.

“Look, I don’t have time for your bullshit. Can’t sit at the bar if you don’t order a drink.” Jareth did not appreciate being addressed so indignantly, but quickly remembered that he was supposed to be incognito. The bartender was clearly irritated, and Jareth didn’t want to draw any more attention to himself, so he started digging into his pockets to find some sort of money. “Don’t even tell me you don’t have cash,” the bartender spat.

Just as Jareth opened his mouth to give a scathing response, a small girl with spikey dark cherry hair stumbled into him. “It ssokay,” she slurred, “I’ma, I’ll buy’m a drink.” Jareth looked down at the girl, clearly inebriated, and back to the bartender who just shrugged and set down two glasses filled with an amber liquid. The goblin king downed one glass immediately and placed it back on the bar. He took the other in his right hand and placed his left hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Hey! Thasmy drink!” she argued. 

Jareth looked deeply into her eyes, keeping his hand on her shoulder. She stared back, utterly mesmerized by his beautifully mismatched pupils. “You already finished your drink, love. You were going back to find your friend, remember?” she started to nod slowly, then turned around and shuffled in the opposite direction. It was good to be such a persuasive master of illusion, Jareth thought to himself, as he leaned casually back into the bar. He continued to scan the crowd looking for any sign of Sarah, but to no avail. After another few minutes, the lights in the open area of the bar dimmed and the stage began to glow.

From behind the left curtain the band members started appearing, first a petite girl with tanned skin and long dark brown hair that was shaved on the sides settled behind the drum kit. Next a tall, thin girl with a messy bun of bright red hair walked out waving both hands and picked up a bass. Then an athletic girl with a short blonde pixie cut hopped out, fist-pumping her guitar. Lastly an ivory skinned girl with waist-length hair the color of midnight walked out, and Jareth’s breath caught in his throat. She wore dark grey jeans that hugged her perfect curves, right up to her hip bones. Her green shirt was pulled ever so slightly to the side, revealing her slender waist, and the neckline was cut to a deep v, so that when she turned to face the crowd, Jareth caught a glimpse of black lace. She kept her head down, taking her place behind the microphone and as the music started to fill the room, she started to sway back and forth. Jareth felt as if he was under a spell. It had been so long since he had actually been in her presence; he had forgotten just how powerless he was when it came to Sarah. He took a deep drink from his glass and tried to bring himself back to the present, he still needed to gather information. Then she lifted her head and began to sing.

_Hello, again, friend of a friend, I knew you when_

_Our common goal was waiting for the world to end._

_Now that the truth is just a rule that you can bend_

_You crack the whip, shape-shift and trick the past again._

Jareth almost choked on his drink. He had never heard anything more beautiful than Sarah’s voice, neither in this realm or his own. It was only enhanced by her full pout of rose colored lips and deep emerald eyes. The goblin king sat completely under the Sarah’s enchantment, unaware of the passage of time until the band stepped off stage for a fifteen minute break. Coming back to himself, Jareth finished his drink and went off to find Sarah. 

He started by checking around the stage and then over by the restroom. As he was scanning the room again he saw a door propped open by the opposite side of the stage. He headed over and stepped out into the cool night to see the band members taking a quick cigarette break. The red-head looked up and gave him a sultry smile. Jareth returned the smile, “Hello darlings, love the show so far. Mind if I join you?”

“Sure, but were almost done,” the brunette said, handing him a cigarette then offering a light, “I’m Regan.”

“Thanks, love. I’m Jay,” he replied. “And who might you lovely ladies be?” he asked letting the smoke escape through his nostrils. 

The red-head took a long drag from her cigarette then offered her hand, “Taylor. It’s nice to meet you Jay.” He then turned to the blonde who eyed him hungrily as Taylor had.

“I’m Alex,” she said shaking his hand, “And this is Sarah.” Jareth turned to the woman he watched in his crystals for the last ten years, and as she took the last long drag of her cigarette, he placed a chaste kiss upon the back of her hand.

“The pleasure is all mine,” Jareth’s lips curled into a smile dripping with sexuality. 

Instead of any glint of recognition, as Jareth expected, Sara’s eyes almost seemed glazed. The side of her mouth curled up into a small smirk. “You’re going to be fun,” she said, pulling a small square tin from deep inside her pocket. Jareth noticed the owl design on the lid as she removed it, revealing the white powder inside. Using a tiny instrument, Sara brought a small amount of the powder to each nostril, snorting it back. Then as quickly as the tin was produced, it disappeared into Sarah’s pocket. She leaned up and whispered coyly into Jareth’s ear. “Come find me after the show.” Sarah turned and walked back inside, followed by the rest of the band, leaving Jareth to finish his cigarette alone. 


	4. Chapter 4

“Anyone feel like flying tonight?” Sarah offered up her outstretched palm that held four small star-shaped rainbow-colored pills to the other girls backstage.

“Ooh, I’m always on board,” Taylor said, reaching out to choose the purple one and popping it into her mouth. Alex giggled and reached for the green pill.

“Sarah, you know I always like to partake in a little mind’s eye disco during our shows, but maybe you should take it easy,” Regan said while selecting the orange one. 

“Oh come on,” Sarah said indignantly, “I haven’t done any of these since Wednesday night, you know that!” She placed the little pink star on the tip of her tongue and seductively brought it back into her mouth to swallow, while approaching Regan. “Don’t worry so much, doll,” Sarah brought her lips close to the side of Regan’s neck, letting her warm breath escape just beneath her earlobe, “It’s just one little pill.” A shiver went down Regan’s spine from the drugs and from Sarah’s closeness as she muttered under her breath, “yeah, and how much coke have you done today...” 

Sarah gave a snort of derision as Alex, Taylor, and Regan all started to head back onstage to start the second half of the show. Regan didn’t know what she was talking about, Sarah knew what she was doing and what she had to do to stay in control of her mind every night. She just wanted to have a little fun with the rest of the show and with her new friend afterward. Sarah did have a thing for blondes for some reason. She poured herself a double shot of tequila and threw it back before walking back out to take the stage. Had Sarah even been the least bit sober she would have realized the beautiful new pair of eyes that she was so eager to see later this evening were in fact the same set that she had fallen in love with ten years ago. The very drive behind her reckless mind-numbing actions; but she was too busy staying in control to notice.

The stage lights seemed more colorful as Sarah took her place behind the microphone. In fact, everything seemed a little more colorful. Sarah could feel the little bit of pink magic spreading through her bloodstream mixing with everything else she had taken that day, and it felt good. Some of the crowd members seemed to grow really tall or shrink to the size of dwarves and the graffiti on the back bar started to sprout up like flowers from the ground. Sarah felt as if she had tumbled down a certain rabbit hole and looked up just as glitter started to fall from the ceiling. Just then the other girls started to play their instruments and Sarah could feel the music reaching out to her, deep into her soul. She stretched out her arms to try to soak up all of the amazing colors and sounds that were consuming her, while letting her voice ring out to enhance the experience. Sarah danced and sang harder than she ever had at any other show and the band kept up with her intense performance as best they could. When it was over, the colors were still just as brilliant and the room was still filled with giant flowers and glitter but the only sound to be heard was applause. The girls took a bow, grabbed their coats, and headed toward the bar for their post-show drinks as the rest of the crowd went home.

“Girls! You’re not supposed to smoke in here!” the bartender yelled as he waved his hand in front of his face to disperse the cloud the four girls were creating.

“Oh come on, Tom, wouldn’t you rather us in here keeping you company than standing out in the cold to smoke over one silly rule?” Taylor gave her best sad puppy dog eyes.

“Well,” Tom blushed gruffly, “at least go crack the window open.” 

“Aww! What a sweetheart!” Taylor leaned across the bar and gave Tom a peck on the cheek as she slid off her barstool to go open the window. The rest of the girls kept chatting, sipping their drinks, and didn’t even notice when a tall slender man stepped out from the shadows.

“Hey! We’re closed!” Tom shouted, just as Jareth was about to open his mouth to greet the girls.

Once again Jareth was taken aback at the rudeness of the bartender toward himself, but tried to stay calm. “Sir, I apologize, but these wonderful ladies requested that I meet them after the-” 

“Look, I don’t give a flying fuck if the pope himself asked you to be here. I didn’t like you earlier and I don’t like you now. Get out!” Tom fumed.

Sarah looked up from her drink and noticed the blonde man from earlier trying to maintain his temper while speaking to Tom. Obviously he would need help. “Aww Tom,” she purred, “he’s with us tonight. Leave him alone. How about you pour us all another round, yourself included?” She rested her head on her shoulder as she reached her arm across the bar to stoke her fingers up and down the back of Tom’s forearm. It would have been overwhelmingly seductive if Sarah’s eyes weren’t glazed over and vacant. 

Tom frowned and for a full minute didn’t utter a word. He slowly looked Jareth over from head to toe until he finally spat, “Fine. But this is the last one. You’ve definitely had enough liquor to satisfy the population of Glasgow and I don’t like the looks of this new shithead.” He poured six double shots of whiskey and handed them out. “To the night, and the strange company it keeps,” Tom raised his glass, and the others all followed in suit, then threw back the amber liquid. “Now get the fuck out.” 

The girls slid off their stools and started heading toward the door, digging in their pockets and purses for fresh cigarettes. As soon as Sara had a new cig in her mouth she spun around to face Jareth so quickly she practically toppled over. Jareth shot out an arm and effortlessly supported her by the elbow. Sarah looked down where he was holding her arm for a minute then back up to his eyes. His beautiful blue mismatched eyes held her glassy emerald stare. “Wanna walk me home?” Sara asked, a slight sneer spreading across her lips.

“I wouldn’t think of letting you walk home yourself my dear,” Jareth replied, putting his arm all the way around Sarah’s waist to support her more fully. A warm feeling spread throughout his loins as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him.

“Excellent,” Sarah purred, resting her head on his chest, “I wouldn’t necessarily be by myself, the girls always crash at my place after a show. But you don’t mind taking care of all of us do you?”

“Yeah, I bet you don’t mind at all, do you?” Taylor had slipped right up next to him and was draping his arm around her shoulders. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair.

Jareth knew he was here in the aboveground to get information and to decide what to do with Sarah, but this was getting to be quite overwhelming. It would take every ounce of strength not to succumb to these beautiful sirens. He looked back over to Sarah and noticed just how removed from the present she was. Jareth knew he needed to do something, so he painfully ignored the tightening of his pants and turned back to Taylor. “Not at all, love. Let’s head home.”


	5. Chapter 5

  
Author's notes:

Song Lyrics are Brain Damage by Pink Floyd

Once again, I own nothing. Enjoy! 

* * *

Sarah dug her hand deep into her pocket, searching for her house keys. Almost all of her weight was currently being supported by her new blonde friend. God he was attractive, she thought. What was his name? Ray? Something with one syllable... well what did it really matter anyway, Sarah concluded. She wouldn't care in the morning. "Ugh, I can't find them!" Sarah exclaimed, looking hopefully at Taylor who had been leaning on the door frame and humming to herself.

Taylor rolled her eyes and reached out to put Sarah's hair behind her ear, "Aww, what would you do without us Sarah?" She unzipped Sarah's jacket and produced the keys from the inner breast pocket. She smiled coyly and jingled them in Sarah's face before inserting them in the lock and swinging open the front door.

Everyone rambled over the threshold of Sarah's apartment and headed for the main living area where a few thrift store couches were more than welcoming. "I'll get the music!" Reagan said, tossing her bag on a chair and heading over to Sarah's turntable and collection of vinyl.

"And I'll get the drinks," Alex smiled, making her way to the extensive collection of bottles in the kitchen. Taylor draped herself rather suggestively across an old love seat and Jareth and Sarah stopped in front of the larger couch.

"Why don't you take a seat love and I'll bring you your drink?" Jareth offered. Sarah blinked hard and nodded before sliding into the cozy sofa. It felt as though the sides of the cushions were coming up to engulf her like the petals of a flower. She leaned her head back and shut her eyes as the needle dropped on Regan's selection and the record crackled to life.

_The lunatic is on the grass_

_The lunatic is on the grass_

_Remembering games and daisy chains and laughs_

_Got to keep the loonies on the path_

Sarah smiled to herself and felt a cold glass introduced to her hand. She accepted, but kept her eyes closed. She breathed in deeply and took a long sip of her drink, allowing the music to take over.

_You lock the door_

_And throw away the key_

_There's someone in my head but it's not me._

_And if the cloud bursts, thunder in your ear_

_You shout and no one seems to hear_

_And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes_

_I'll see you on the dark side of the moon_

Sarah lived on the dark side of the moon. She was constantly slipping seamlessly between a comfortably numb dream state and brief, blurry glimpses of reality. She didn't want to face her real emotions regarding her past and instead chose to keep her mind adrift, no matter the consequences. Sarah smiled again to herself, and then opened her eyes to face her new friend. His piercing blue eyes returned her gaze, and that was the last thing she remembered.

*****

Jareth practically carried Sarah through the door of her apartment and into her living room. He couldn't understand why she would let herself become so helpless. He had always remembered her as such a strong young woman. Strong enough to resist his offer of her dreams, something any other woman would kill for. But now she was weak and detached. More disturbingly, she did not seem to recognize Jareth at all. This actually angered the Goblin King. How could she not remember him? He was quite sure he had made an impression on her. He went through all the trouble of creating her wonderful fantasy land, re-ordering time, and turning the world upside down just for Sarah. He took time away from his kingdom to come aboveground to check on her and she gave him nothing. No slight recognition or even casual questions, just a mere shell of a person. She had some nerve to play this kind of game with him. This would not stand with the Goblin King. Sarah would pay for her rude behavior.

Jareth tried to stand Sarah up in the living room as the other girls announced upcoming music and drinks. Sarah wavered when left to stand alone so instead, Jareth guided her to sit on the couch and offered to get her a drink. As he headed to the kitchen where Alex was making drinks, he thought about a little revenge he might seek tonight before he left for the Underground. It would be even better than usual because he was here, in person, not just in the constructs of Sarah's dreams that he was so used to invading. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Taylor draped across the love seat in a position absolutely screaming for attention. About a hundred different ideas flooded his mind as his pants simultaneously grew tighter. Perhaps this could be even more fun than he thought. 

He sauntered back over to the couch where Sarah appeared to have been eaten alive by the soft cushions, and sat down as close to her as possible, looking much like a large panther cornering its prey. Jareth tried to get Sarah's attention to hand her the drink that she really didn't need, but her eyes were closed. However, her head was still moving slightly with the rhythm of the music, so he knew she was awake. He reached across her body and eased the cool glass into her hand. To his surprise, her right arm came to life and took the glass, immediately drinking down most of the beverage without moving any other muscles. After a few seconds Sarah smiled to herself, as if remembering a private joke, then opened her eyes to peer into Jareth's mismatched gaze. Her pupils were quite dilated and her eyes seemed almost glassy, but neither took away from the sultry smirk she held with her full lips.

"Why don't we head upstairs and I'll see you off to bed?" Jareth asked Sarah while briefly scanning the room and finding Alex and Regan to be already asleep in the opposite corner of the room. He smiled to himself and turned to face Taylor, "Would you mind helping me out, love?"

"Oh! Of course!" Taylor exclaimed, trying without much success to hide her eagerness. She immediately hopped up and slipped herself under Sarah's right arm to aid with the trip upstairs. "Come on Sarah, it's time to turn in for the evening," Taylor whispered in her friend's ear as Jareth took Sarah's other arm.

The threesome headed up the short flight of stairs and into Sarah's room. As soon as they got through the doorway, Sarah tripped over her own boots and all three went tumbling into her bed. Although caught off-guard, Jareth's Fae grace allowed him to land elegantly on his side, while the other two landed tangled up on top of each other in a minor fit of giggles. This woke Sarah up slightly and she reached out to hug Taylor, "Ohmygod I love you soooo much! Thanksfor bringing metobed guys" She then pulled back a bit and kissed Taylor, quite bluntly, right on the lips

Jareth could not believe what he was seeing. He was under the impression he was going to have to use some amount of force to get the girls to go along with what he had planned. Jareth resigned to the fact that he might not get to punish Sarah tonight, and allowed himself to enjoy the show that she and her friend were giving him. Taylor had already removed her own shirt and was about to help Sarah with hers. Jareth bit down hard on his lower lip as Sarah's soft cotton t-shirt was pulled up and over her head to reveal her slender torso adorned with a beautiful black and gold lace bra supporting her perfect breasts. He felt his lower abdomen grow warm and his pants tighten with anticipation when suddenly a hand reached out and grabbed the collar of his shirt.

Taylor pulled his face in close and kissed his lips savagely. Jareth reached up to run his hands through her long red hair when he felt a second pair of hands on his belt. He glanced quickly to his right and saw that Sarah was fumbling with his buckle in an attempt to remove his pants. Eager to continue exactly down the path in which they were headed, he grasped a handful of Taylor's hair and pulled it tight as he bit down on her bottom lip causing her to release a slight moan of ecstasy. He then turned to give a little attention to Sarah, and found her no longer toying with the opening of his jeans, but passed out with her arms spread out beside her. Jareth leaned over her chest and airways and could not discern any signs of breathing. He reached up to her neck and could no longer feel her warm blood coursing through her veins.

"Come on, she passes out all the time, that doesn't mean we have to stop," Taylor tugged on Jareth's shirt and whispered in his ear, trying to draw him back to her.

"Remove yourself from me, harlot!" Jareth twisted hard and threw Taylor off of the bed completely and onto the floor. "You are nobody! You are nothing but a disposable pleasure! You have no idea how important this woman is and you are willing to just let her die so that you can satisfy your libido!" Jareth finished shouting and turned back to the lifeless Sarah. Taylor curled up, completely shocked, into the corner of Sarah's room wrapping a blanket around her shoulders to cover herself. Jareth had already forgotten she existed.

Jareth reached a hand up to tuck Sarah's hair behind her ear and reached his other hand deep into his pocket and pulled out a perfectly clear crystal. He placed it onto his palm and blew it like a kiss into Sarah's heart. The crystal transformed into a glitter mist and absorbed through Sarah's skin and caused her chest to glow for a brief moment. Then there was a sharp intake of breath and Sarah's eyes popped open. Jareth, somewhat relieved, sighed, "Good, you're alive."

Sarah looked hard at the person above her for a few seconds, and then focused in on his eyes. "no..... No. No, it's not you. NO!" Sara screamed aloud, and fainted instantly.

Jareth was shocked. He brings her back from death and this is how she treats him? She recognized him, sure that was an improvement, but the little bitch didn't even thank him for saving her life. Jareth had had enough. He was the Goblin King and it was time he started acting like it. No more allowing this little girl to manipulate him, keeping him from thinking in a straight line. He stood up and waved his hand once, transforming back to his normal attire. He threw Sarah's shirt back over her head then scooped her body up and draped her over his shoulder. He then heard a meek voice from a dark corner and turned to see Taylor.

"Where are you taking her?" Taylor asked, barely audible.

"My kingdom of course, she's my prisoner. Not that it concerns you," Jareth sneered. He waved his hand again and produced another crystal. After rolling it to the tips of his fingers, he hurled the crystal at Taylor, striking her in the shoulder and causing it to shatter into a million pieces. The glittery crystal rained over her, putting her and the rest of the girls in the house into a deep memory- erasing sleep.

"Well that's taken care of. Your friends won't even remember to miss you. Let's go my dear, it's time for you to clean up and learn some manners." And with a snap of Jareth's fingers, Sarah was once again, in the Underground.


	6. Chapter 6

  
Author's notes: AN: I own nothing. Rated M for a reason.  


* * *

Sarah awoke shivering with one of the worst headaches she'd had in ages. Fighting to open her eyes, she found herself lying on a simple wooden bed with her jacket tucked under her head as a pillow. She reached behind her back and discovered the reason for her drop in body temperature. The bed was backed up against a cold stone wall. She fought to sit up and tried to inspect her surroundings a bit closer. There were no windows, the room was empty, apart from a small restroom type area in the corner, and there was a large door opposite the bed. "Fuck," Sarah muttered to herself, "I've been arrested. Again." Granted this was the strangest holding cell she'd ever seen in her life, but what else could it be? Maybe she had managed to get herself into one of the surrounding towns which weren't quite as "classy" as hers. They probably hadn't redone their jails since 1904.

As Sarah began to wake up, her pounding headache slowly gave way to a flood of questions. How did she end up in a different town? Where were her friends? What had she done to get arrested? Why was she in solitary confinement? DID THEY FIND HER STASH?!

Sarah instantly scrambled to dig through every pocket on her jacket. After five minutes of adrenaline coursing through her veins, she flung her jacket against the opposite wall, resigning that it was gone. All of it. Her flask of tequila, her cigarettes, and her precious owl tin. Everything was gone.

She was pissed but not surprised. She had been arrested after all, and most likely it had something to do with public intoxication, it certainly wouldn't be the first time. But then a small hope popped into Sarah's fuzzy mind. If the prison she was in was so sub-standard, perhaps it followed that the police work might be just as exceptional. Sarah stumbled as fast as she could to go retrieve her jacket from the other side of the room. Using her teeth, she ripped open the seam along the waistband and pealed back the fabric to reveal a small sandwich bag containing two white pills. Just as her skin started to crawl, she hungrily dry-swallowed one of the pills, rolled up the bag, and tucked it into her jeans pocket. Sarah had sewn the two pills into her jacket a few months ago when she had gone out and forgotten her tin. The few hours were so unbearable that Sarah decided she should always keep a bit of insurance on her person. Headache already beginning to subside, she leaned back onto the bed and waited for one of the cops to come take her to the phones so that she could call one of her friends to come bail her out. Just as she closed her eyes, a deafening bang on the door startled her upright.

*****

Sarah stood up and turned to face the door as it slowly creaked open. In through the bright sliver of light stepped a tall, slender man with faded jeans, a grey shirt, and blonde hair. A brief wave of recognition swept over Sarah as the man stepped squarely into the cell and lifted his gaze to meet hers. As soon as his mismatched pupils locked onto her emerald greens, all the color drained from her face and she was hit with a wall of nausea. She knew those eyes all too well.

"You sick son of a bitch," Sarah spat, "you think this is some kind of game?!"

The corner of Jareth's mouth curled up into a sneer and he snapped the fingers of his right hand. With a signature swell of glitter, his common street clothes melted away to reveal his regal attire, cape falling from his shoulders and hitting the floor. "Actually," Jareth drew out his baritone response as he slowly approached her and circled around behind her. He leaned up against her back and tilted his head to get his lips as close to her left ear as possible, "I do."

In one swift motion, Sarah shifted her weight to her right foot and back again, and allowed her fist to occupy the same space as Jareth's face. Jareth didn't move, didn't react, other than to slowly lick his tongue along the edge of his lips where a single droplet of blood was forming. "Oh, come come Sarah. That's no way to treat someone who just saved your life now, is it?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?! Where the hell are we?" Sarah started taking steps backward, toward the bed. "Tell me what's going on, asshole."

"You know very well where you are Sara. As for your life, I couldn't very well let you die from your own childish mistakes now, could I? What would I have left to play with? No love, I spared you with my magic, which, by the way has left a few residual effects on your human system." Jareth turned on his heel and strutted toward the door. His words were so matter of fact that they began to fill Sarah with fear.

"Wait..." Sarah breathed after him, sinking down onto the bed and curling her knees up to her chest. "What do you mean by residual effects?" She had a horrible feeling that she was about to experience more than her share of cold sweats, spinning rooms, and extreme migranes.

"You'll just have to find that out my dear." He stopped and turned back to face her. "But if I were you, I'd try to ration that one pill I had left. There's nothing in here anymore," and tossed something small and shiny in her direction. "Thanks for the shout out by the way."

Sarah caught the little flying trinket and saw that it was her owl tin, and that it was indeed completely barren. With a wink, Jareth disappeared and locked the door. Sarah was left alone in the cold and dark.


	7. Chapter 7

  
Author's notes: I own nothing.  


* * *

Sarah soon understood what was meant by “residual effects.” Whatever magic Jareth had used on her had given her entire body a numbing effect to the shock of withdrawl. That glorious protective candy coating, however, was now long gone and every last sparkle of glitter had seeped out of her veins only to be replaced with acidic fire.

Soaked in a pool of sweat, Sarah lay flat on her back, gripping either side of the bed so that she would not be thrown out by the constant rocking that rivaled a deep sea fishing vessel. No matter how hard she tried, she could not get her eyes to focus on the dark spot on the ceiling, for instead they kept flicking away to the left over and over, like the ticking of a clock. At some point she had stripped down to her lace undergarments to help relieve the raging fever, only to be frozen minutes later. She had already thrown her clothes across the room so she attempted to cover herself with a sheet but her coordination was so poor that she only managed to get it wrapped around one leg.

Within minutes, any shred of a train of thought was shattered as she threw her head over the side of the bed, splattering the contents of her stomach into a small pewter bucket. Sarah had lost count of how many times she had retched that day, but she did know that after each time, every joint and muscle in her body ached to it’s core. She could not see the puffiness of her face or the dark circles beneath her eyes, but she could not escape the feel of her clammy skin when she would accidentally brush one limb against the other. Her own sickening touch only made her feel the need to vomit again.

Sarah gingerly brought her hand up to wipe her matted hair from her forehead and reached with her other hand for the small cup of water so she could rinse the bile from her mouth. Setting the cup back down, she found a cool spot of the bed frame where she could rest her forehead and quickly drifted back to sleep.

*****

Sarah awoke after a few hours, or days, or even possibly a week. She was completely disoriented, but for the first time didn’t feel consumed with illness. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, putting her bare feet on the cold stone floor. Standing up, she gingerly started to search the room for the clothing she had ungraciously tossed into a corner, and was surprised when she found it folded on a small table alongside a basin full of warm water, a bar of soap, and a fluffy cream towel. “Well that’s interesting…,” she murmured, glancing over her shoulder to be sure whoever had brought the supplies wasn’t hanging around for a free show. Satisfied she was alone, she dipped her hands into the soothing water and began to wash the last few days from her skin. Fresh once again, she toweled off and lifted her shirt to her face, inhaling lavender and vanilla before pulling it down over her head. “Clean clothes _and_ a bath. What a bonus,” Sarah said aloud heading back to the bed to put her shoes back on.

She sat for a minute drumming her fingers on the mattress, then abruptly stood up. “I wonder…” she whispered, heading toward the sturdy wooden door. Reaching her hand up and placing it on the handle, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Twisting her wrist, the latch gave and the door creaked open and a sliver of candle light poured into the room. “Wait, is he serious?” she snorted in derision. “He honestly can’t think an _unlocked door_ is gonna keep me in this room. Fuck that.” She flung the door wide open and strolled confidently out into the long castle corridor.


	8. Chapter 8

  
Author's notes: I own nothing. Rated M for a reason.  


* * *

The orb rolled back and forth, to and fro, through crossed palms, then along their backsides, coming to rest atop the tips of long, slender fingers. Pausing only for a moment, it crested and rolled back down the black leather and passed into the other hand, just to flow into the rhythm all over again. Jareth had been idling in his throne, occupying his hands with crystals and letting his mind wander for quite a while, when his thoughts landed back on Sarah. _I wonder if she's made it into the castle yet,_ he mused, and as if on cue, a tiny yelp squeaked before him.

Jareth halted the crystal's lazy movements with a firm grip and leaned forward over his elbow, raising his eyebrows expectantly. "Yes?" he directed toward the two and a half feet of trembling insecurity before him.

"Sire!" the goblin piped an octave too high, and then rapidly cleared his throat to regain a shred of composure. "Your Highness... you, uh... instructed me to inform you once the girl began to move about the castle," He bowed low with one arm out and the other across his stout body, practically touching his nose to the floor.

Jareth smirked half of a smile and turned his gaze to the side, out the window. "What of her?" he sighed, resuming his crystal meditations.

The confused goblin cocked his head to the side and pulled his hands up into his chest as he rose cautiously from his bow. He was quite certain he had given his master the exact information he had requested. He looked through shifty eyes back toward the throne and shaking his head to clear his thoughts he spoke again. "The girl has begun to move about the castle," and quickly added "Your Highness," before falling back into another deep bow.

"Excellent." Jareth rose gracefully yet sharply, causing the goblin before him to jump back and topple over. "Where are you, my Sarah?" Jareth breathed, gazing into his crystal and conjuring up a flawless image of Sarah looking warily around a dimly lit room. "Ah," The Goblin King smiled inwardly, "of course." And then he was gone.

***** 

Sarah dragged her fingertips lightly down the large stones that made up the walls of the castle's corridors. Reaching the end of the hallway she looked left and then right. Both directions were identical. _I didn't realize the labyrinth was inside the castle too._ But then she reconsidered herself. "Hey, you solved that one once, and now you've got a clear head again, you can do this. You can get yourself out of this hell and back home." New determination in her step, Sarah turned right and headed down the hall, opening the first door she came upon. 

The Escher Room assaulted her gaze. 

"Nope. Fuck this." Sarah slammed the door and stormed back down the corridor to take the left fork of the hallway. After putting a good 30 feet between herself and that door, she allowed herself a full body shudder. There was no way she could deal with her emotions from that day now, especially a few days sober. _Well hopefully not for long._ Sarah fingered the single pill she still had hidden in her pocket and drew a great rush of relief just reaffirming its presence.

Once again she started off down the corridor, and had walked for about 20 minutes before she came upon another door. Sarah took a step back into the hall, and took a deep breath. She reached her arm out and grasped the large brass door handle. Closing her eyes, Sarah cracked the door open about an inch, and then peered around and into the room, slowly forcing her eyes back open. Sarah relaxed immediately when she saw that it was just an empty kitchen, and she opened the door the rest of the way. Looking across to the other side, she saw another door and hoped she'd been lucky enough to find a shortcut.

As Sarah walked through the room, she realized it was much more than just a kitchen. There were shelves and shelves of large glass bell jars and apothecary vessels full of strange plants and curious found objects. Sarah deviated from her path down the middle of the kitchen to get a better look at mysterious pantry items. Although she did see a few everyday herbs and spices, the vast majority were clearly other-worldly with names that she couldn't hope to read or pronounce. The couple which had hand-written notes mostly designated caution for the horrible illnesses they caused. Impressed by the sheer number of deadly items stored in the kitchen, or better yet, evil potions room, Sarah nodded to herself and headed back on her path towards the door.

Sarah headed out into a new hallway which, depressingly, looked exactly like the one she had been in a few minutes earlier. She wandered up and down, left and right, searching for a way out. Not that she knew what she would do if she actually did make it outside of the castle. "Cross that bridge when you get to it, Sarah," she muttered to herself as she turned another left down yet another hall. At least this side of the castle seemed to have more hallways to take.

She came upon another door but this one was different than the others she had gone through or walked past earlier. All the other doors she had encountered had been large, rectangular, and made of a varnished, sturdy wood. This door was modestly ornate. It was roughly the same size as the others, perhaps slightly larger, but its sides arced up to meet in a point. The surface looked as though it had once been painted a rich cream color but over time the lacquer had become faded and worn down in some areas. There was hand carved filigree on the individual panels of the door that appeared to have been inlaid with real gold leaf, although about half of it was missing. Even the delicately carved doorknob looked more like a piece of jewelry than hardware. Sarah knew this door had to lead somewhere special, so she twisted the precious handle and without hesitation, stepped inside.

Sarah walked right into the center of the vast room before her eyes adjusted enough to look around. The room was very dimly lit by a small amount of sunlight filtering in through an extremely dusty skylight. The walls were lined with random sofas and settees draped in white cloths, and the floor itself was white marble, tiered into about three or four levels spread out around the room. Sarah began to get an uneasy feeling in her stomach as she looked up and for the first time noticed that the vaulted ceilings supported hundreds of chandlers dripping with pearls and melted candle wax. Just then, she felt that she wasn't alone and whipped her head around to look behind her.

The Goblin King stood menacingly tall and proud, not three feet behind her, clasping his gloved hands behind his back.

"Welcome home." Jareth leered.


End file.
